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Squamish Bald Eagles (Again)

This was my third time in Squamish to shoot Bald Eagles, and it will likely become an annual excursion. Not only do I love Squamish and Brackendale, it is a great opportunity to practice wildlife photography with a photogenic subject. Unlike my previous trip to the area when I visited in January, this time I came when the eagle concentrations were much higher. There were several occasions when I saw up to eight eagles all trying to get one or two dead salmon, unsurprisingly some fights broke out.

As I was heading to a new location to begin my search for eagles, I saw an interesting log pincer thingy (correct name) and had to stop. I managed to get a shot with my wide angle that included the Stawamus Chief in the background.

(As always, click to view larger. You can also just scroll through all of the photos in a slideshow)

Getting to the beach at the south end of Squamish was more fun than expected due to deep snow. Once I arrived, there were no eagles to be seen but I did brave the elements to get this long exposure shot before I packed up and went searching for the elusive birds.

First stop was near the SPCA. Mount Garibaldi was looking majestic as usual so a quick shot was necessary.

I did find a single juvenile bald eagle

Pretty sure he saw me.

Also came across a Great Blue Heron

Plenty of crows, which I used to practice my focus tracking for flying birds.

A gang of seagulls.

A few shy ducks.

This is the reason the eagles are here in high concentrations, plenty of dead or dying salmon to eat. Other bird species also enjoy the annual feast.

Finally, in the most popular spot there were plenty of eagles. These were all found off Government Road near the Watershed Grill restaurant.

This one looking like he has found something interesting.

As I said previously, fights were not uncommon though rarely seemed to result in any real damage.

I shot a LOT of photos to only get a few worth keeping. Not an easy subject to photograph.

The seagulls don’t stick around to ask questions when they see the eagles coming in.

Another fight sequence.

This guy wanted to make sure the young eagle knew who the boss was.

And a few more shots. It certainly won’t be my last time visiting the area.